Green Room

Re: Priebus

Guy, I agree that Priebus did a good job in righting the ship. I mentioned that in the post, of course, and it’s worth stating again that the reasons we lost the election don’t appear to be located in the RNC’s organizational efforts. Priebus revitalized fundraising and helped keep pace with Team Obama and the DNC, which was expected to swamp out Republicans in this cycle.

However, J. C. Watts can address the issues that make us less competitive, and he needs an official role and structure to start that effort. Perhaps the RNC might consider funding a somewhat-autonomous subsidiary to build permanent outreach into the cities, and start by identifying state and local candidates who can create, propose, and deliver creative conservative solutions for urban issues, such as unemployment, investment, and education — concrete and specific policies that will improve lives. Watts would be an outstanding organizer in that kind of effort, or if not, perhaps Newt Gingrich would consider it.

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Exactly. Romney won ND, MT, MO and IN and we lost four Senate seats just right there. Priebus was part of the Wisconsin moment, but with Thompson losing and Ryan not as VP, it’s probably time to move on and focus on diversity.

Saying that Priebus did a good job of “righting the ship” is the equivalent of saying Col. Custer did a good job of making “command decisions” at The Little Big Horn……except, in Custer’s case – his FIRST coommand decision to go IN there was as wrong as the belief that the earth is “flat”.

Erickson’s been relentless on hitting the RNC for its ties to FLS. Priebus helped to facilitate it. As an RNC Chair, we lost several winnable Senate seats and didn’t let anyone else bid on out voter contact system. That’s not righting the ship. That’s simply the status quo.

For all her faults and delusional statements, DWS outperformed Priebus in tightly contested Congressional seats as well as key Senate seats. She might be a trainwreck, but she was an effective trainwreck.

Priebus will keep his job, because that’s how the RNC operates. And once again, we’ll have subpar voter ID and GOTV efforts in 2014. But when it’s more important for RNC personnel to make money than it is to win election….what do you expect?

Erickson’s been relentless on hitting the RNC for its ties to FLS. Priebus helped to facilitate it. As an RNC Chair, we lost several winnable Senate seats and didn’t let anyone else bid on out voter contact system. That’s not righting the ship. That’s simply the status quo.

For all her faults and delusional statements, DWS outperformed Priebus in tightly contested Congressional seats as well as key Senate seats. She might be a trainwreck, but she was an effective trainwreck.

Priebus will keep his job, because that’s how the RNC operates. And once again, we’ll have subpar voter ID and GOTV efforts in 2014. But when it’s more important for RNC personnel to make money than it is to win election….what do you expect?

Hostile Gospel on December 3, 2012 at 2:08 PM

Exactly. If even half of what Erickson is putting out is true, the entire RNC needs to be purged, and we need some form of corporate governance policies in place to keep this bullsh*t from happening again.

How in the world can we claim to be the party of the private sector when we don’t have the most basic private sector policies in place?

The GOP needs to rebrand. Bill Whittle did a Firewall on Obama’s magic of branding, and the GOP has none of that.

The GOP needs to make inroads so they don’t seem like a bunch of morons. Akin basically ruined everything with a moronic statement that invigorated the War on Women crowd.

The GOP needs to get away from the “Party of the Rich” label.

The GOP needs to get away from the label of being a bunch of racists.

Matter of fact, the GOP would do well to do a few outreach movements in urban areas. Highlight the fact that black unemployment has exploded under Democrat policies. Remind them that the last 40 years cities like Philly and Detroit and Baltimore have had Democrats in charge, and that every year they promise better living for black populations. Instead, they get an increase in single parents, increases in crime, increases in jailed black populations. Just meet with the Pastors in the area and drive home the reform ideas. Tell them that they should do what’s best for the inner cities and focus on encouraging business development and individualism, not dependency on government.

I LIKED Priebus, but I can’t support rewarding failure. Isn’t that a dem thing?

earlgrey133 on December 3, 2012 at 2:03 PM

You’ve nailed it. No one’s been punished for blowing the election. That’s part of why I think the party leadership is pushing this “AMERICA HAS FAILED US” baloney, they fell down on the job and are more interested in job security than righting the ship.

As to Priebus, while he’s certainly gotten better media than Steele, his performance this election was pretty lackluster. Sure they made more money, and then they wasted it too. DWS got pretty consistently awful media, but her party won.

Sorry, but it’s inconceivable to me that the GOP is actually down to 45 Senate seats when, two years ago, it seemed a lead-pipe cinch we’d take the Senate and have a total of low-to-mid 50s in total seats.

Something, even beyond the voter fraud which I believe was instrumental in Romney losing, is very wrong there, and nobody should be rewarded or lauded for it.

Taking the Senate was even more important than winning the White House. Now we are stuck with Obamacare for life, and we are all headed down a horrible road because of it.

If JC Watts becomes chairman, he can start with Milwaukee, the poster child for failed Democratic policies. There are some conservative blacks in the community who would jump on his bandwagon. If you can make inroads in this inner city, you can make it anywhere.

Priebus revitalized fundraising and helped keep pace with Team Obama and the DNC, which was expected to swamp out Republicans in this cycle.

However, J. C. Watts can address the issues that make us less competitive, and he needs an official role and structure to start that effort.

So, basically, we need J.C. because he’s black. Talk about your ironies. Didn’t Priebus replace the last guy who was supposed to be the solution to our problems simply because he was black? Now we need to replace Priebus with another black guy who will solve our problems simply because he’s black, lol. And folks wonder why the GOP loses a little more credibility every day.

Something, even beyond the voter fraud which I believe was instrumental in Romney losing, is very wrong there, and nobody should be rewarded or lauded for it.

Taking the Senate was even more important than winning the White House. Now we are stuck with Obamacare for life, and we are all headed down a horrible road because of it.

Right Mover on December 3, 2012 at 2:53 PM

I can’t quite understand this reasoning.
You know who is to blame for a second Obama term? The ignorant 3rd party d-bags and the lazy “true conservatives” who sat on their collective asses and handed Obama a second term in order to “teach”…somebody?.. something or other. Too bad they were too dumb to see what was right in front of their eyes..blinking lights and shouting thru a megaphone…”HEY!…Look over here!..You’re about to throw your country to the communist pigs!..you see that, don’t you?”
Apparently not.

You want to know where the blame is so that mistake is not made again? There it is. Its not Romney..it’s not Priebus..it wasn’t “the message”. It was lazy dumb phuks who sat it out.

You know who is to blame for a second Obama term? The ignorant 3rd party d-bags and the lazy “true conservatives” who sat on their collective asses and handed Obama a second term in order to “teach”…somebody?.. something or other. Too bad they were too dumb to see what was right in front of their eyes..blinking lights and shouting thru a megaphone…”HEY!…Look over here!..You’re about to throw your country to the communist pigs!..you see that, don’t you?”
Apparently not.

Sorry, that’s not how politics actually works, something we lost sight of during the primaries and something people still haven’t quite figured out yet.

Conservative partisans like us understood that this election was pretty critical to determining our nation’s future and critical to saving us from national bankruptcy. However, outside of our very small echo chamber/bubble, you still have to do the groundwork of politics which involves persuading doubters to vote and getting people to go to the polls. This isn’t unique to the US and is an issue in every democracy where voting isn’t mandatory.

It was clear when Republican primary turnout collapsed that there was a major problem with the party base, but the Republicans chose to roll on forward, thinking that they were entitled to these votes and didn’t have to do any actual work to win them. Unfortunately, these geniuses failed to understand the Republican and Democrat party bases are very different and that the base doesn’t turn out blindly for whatever is thrown up on stage.

If we’re going to win the 2016 elections, the party is going to have to learn to accomodate its base and not assume the base is “captive” like the African-American population. If the party leadership continues stamping its feet and throwing temper tantrums and looking for a “new base” (first independents and now probably Hispanics) they’re going to keep losing.

I frankly doubt they’ll learn the lesson. I’m expected more whining in 2014 and 2016 about how the Republicans are “entitled” to the conservative vote.

Sorry, that’s not how politics actually works, something we lost sight of during the primaries and something people still haven’t quite figured out yet.

Conservative partisans like us understood that this election was pretty critical to determining our nation’s future and critical to saving us from national bankruptcy. However, outside of our very small echo chamber/bubble, you still have to do the groundwork of politics which involves persuading doubters to vote and getting people to go to the polls. This isn’t unique to the US and is an issue in every democracy where voting isn’t mandatory.

It was clear when Republican primary turnout collapsed that there was a major problem with the party base, but the Republicans chose to roll on forward, thinking that they were entitled to these votes and didn’t have to do any actual work to win them. Unfortunately, these geniuses failed to understand the Republican and Democrat party bases are very different and that the base doesn’t turn out blindly for whatever is thrown up on stage.

If we’re going to win the 2016 elections, the party is going to have to learn to accomodate its base and not assume the base is “captive” like the African-American population. If the party leadership continues stamping its feet and throwing temper tantrums and looking for a “new base” (first independents and now probably Hispanics) they’re going to keep losing.

I frankly doubt they’ll learn the lesson. I’m expected more whining in 2014 and 2016 about how the Republicans are “entitled” to the conservative vote.

Doomberg on December 3, 2012 at 3:48 PM

We’ll have to agree to disagree.
In an odd way, what you suggest is the problem, is a ghost of how the left thinks…they are entitled to have things presented to them for their approval, in the proper way, or they will pout and rebel with inactivity.

If people are sooo dumb as to not see what is in front of their faces, what is someone supposed to do…go door to door and beg them to try to not be so stupid?

What exactly does this “accommodate it’s base” consist of?

The difference between the vision for the future of America was so stark and sharply define between Obama and Romney, that, if someone couldn’t see it, they must have been blind.

The lesson to be learned is with the dumb assed people who are so easily fooled imo.

We have to do something about addressing the urban districts. We may not be able to win votes that way, but urban areas have a lot of influence over forming a narrative. Urban leaders can and are outright hostile in their dialogue about opposing opinions, businesses and the american people themselves.

I won’t be a part of a Republican Party that does not choose to do outreach in urban areas.

There was an article last week that Priebus is just the RNC mouthpiece for Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie. If that is true, then I want him gone. 1) there is no excuse that the RNC ended this election with so much cash on hand instead of spent – especially when we had so many candidates lose. It is also true that most of the losing Senate candidates were picked by the RNSC and RNC and they continue to pick mushy moderates rather than a candidate who actually stands for something. It is high past time for a complete change in the GOP from the top down… or 2014 is going to make 2006 look good…. especially with Boehner making it clear conservatives have no place in HIS GOP House.

You make some good points. We know that the RNSC/RNC/Establishment Republicans despise and work against the Tea Party and any Conservatives.

It would be interesting to know how much $/support the Conservative Senate Candidates received from the RNSC/RNC.

It’s my opinion they and the other Establishment Republicans were against Romney and wanted Obama to win re-election in order to pave the way for Jeb Bush. J.B. is already being floated as the “chosen” R nominee for 2016. They selected Romney but I doubt that Romney was even aware of their opposition.

Have you read the article of the letter 70 Conservatives sent to the entire GOP Congress and the letter Brent Bozell sent to Priebus?

Alot of the Senate losses have to do with the Senate committee have to do with candidate recruitment. Tommy Thompson is 70 and has spent the last 10 years in DC. There really was no business guy or former Packer they could have run there..

Not sure that Priebus made a huge difference. Turnout wasn’t much better. There was no significant outreach to the conservative base by the campaign and, by all accounts, no attempt to take the argument to Hispanic or black communities.

Add to this the structural problem of not even contesting California, the single largest delegation. You don’t say it can’t be done. Especially if you head up the RNC.

I will never, ever again give any money to the RNC after learning how they spend it on lavish dinners, parties, ties, travel and whores. If I want to support a candidate, I write that person a check directly. Also, it is the RNC that keeps putting up these sickening RINOs who look like commiecrat clones. F the RNC.